LPT Request: how do you learn to manage multiple, overlapping projects?

Submitted by cottoncandy-sky t3_zxt9jo in LifeProTips

In my job (and I imagine most jobs) I am working on multiple, overlapping projects at the same time. They are all different size projects, all at different phases, and my role/involvement can be different on each. How do I learn to manage my time and stress?

I've tried looking into project management tips and software but they all focus on managing/organizing one project. Which is great but nothing addresses blocking my own schedule and knowing how/when to spend time on what.

Nobody ever teaches you this. I've been out of college and in my field for a decade and more experience just means more projects but no method for organizing my time and tasks.

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ugakarl t1_j225usd wrote

This is hard but try to not lose sleep on things you can’t control.

Using a tool like jira can help you manage multiple projects/teams with lots of room for epics/stories/tasks/sub tasks.

Not sure of your role, but jira helps me on a daily basis.

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cottoncandy-sky OP t1_j226cz3 wrote

Looks like it might be similar to Asana or Trello but geared to developers. Not my field but I'll check it out and see if it has any good processes that might relate to me. Thanks!

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its_justme t1_j226k44 wrote

Usually leadership sets priorities on project work. But if that is not an option, see below:

So you're missing the fundamentals of PM here: WBS. Take something ground up like PMBOK to understand what needs to be done. There are multiple pathways here but a WBS would be the first thing to do. Then understand and create your critical path for one project. Repeat for each project involved.

THEN extrapolate that into a project of managing projects.

THEN superimpose your schedule on top of that. Et voila, you are now a PM. It's really not that bad but I think you're missing some basic stuff that a good PM course would teach you.

Glad to discuss further but my rate is $170 an hour :) just kidding

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ZackDimma t1_j229076 wrote

I don’t know if it helps, I’m young and going through exams, get the easy stuff out of the way. Reduce the amount you have and stick to a schedule. Never stress over it either that makes worse and harder to manage. Ask for help, even if you aren’t comfortable with it, just do it, you’d be surprised by how many people care for you. Never let it affect your sleep, if you desperately need to finish something and it’ll take an hour or so, make sure to make it an hours long. Don’t overthink, overthinking complicated things, stick to the path that is simple, especially when it comes to small projects. I hope this helps and I hope you do well

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cottoncandy-sky OP t1_j22a1sc wrote

Well you just nailed all my bad traits in one paragraph so thanks for that ;) just kidding but I DO struggle with taking on too much, never asking for help, letting the stress/workload affect my sleep, and overthinking. So I totally recognize that I'm a big part of my own problem when it comes to managing my workload. It's just harder to not default to those things than it seems. But thanks for the encouragement/reminder. Best of luck with your exams.

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ZackDimma t1_j22bc97 wrote

Thanks but lucks all bs anyway, I never seem to get any :/ honestly mental health is a massive part of it, I know a lot about it because my dad worked with the ambulance service helping paramedics cope with certain things. Anyway to get back on track, you should maybe take some time to read a book or spend with family and friends too forget about it for a second, this break can be as long or as short as you need or want, push some deadlines back say you need to put yourself first, have a breath mate you’re drowning in work.

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pushjustalittle t1_j229jbt wrote

I think it depends on what you mean by “managing”. I’ve worked for a long time in a space that requires management of multiple projects simultaneously, as many as 25-30. The most important thing is to keep a constantly updated status report and have full timelines through completion for each project, and calanderize everything. Ideally have all of these things in 1 document for all projects.

Start every day with a “hot sheet” either for yourself or with your team to quickly align on what needs to happen today and the next couple of days, make sure you’ve got resources aligned appropriately, and then execute. Planning your time carefully is going to be key - so work on A from 9-10, B from 10-11, 15 min break, then incorporate boss’s comments to A from 11:15-11:30. PM tools are very helpful but you can do this with simple tools you already have - your Outlook/Google calendar, old-school to-do lists, and a timer. All of this planning takes time, but is well worth it.

Couple of key tips: if you are doing this as part of a team, or are relying on others to do pieces (eg, for Art to layout a piece), let them know well in advance what is needed and when they can expect to receive it, and when you’ll need it back. Be honest with yourself about how long things will take - don’t plan a 1h task to get done in 15 min. And DO block your calendar to avoid meetings, calls, and other disruptions. If there are meetings you can’t miss, factor that in. Lastly…you can usually change timelines if you do so far enough in advance. Don’t plan to have a major milestone on multiple projects on the same day unless you are very confident it can actually happen.

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cottoncandy-sky OP t1_j22b5s5 wrote

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough response! There are so many good points here that I'm definitely taking notes. I have a handful of follow up questions if you don't mind.

Would you be willing to share an example with me of what your status reports and timelines look like and how you organize those? Not sure if it would be too specific to your job but I would love to see how you outline things. At my last job I had to submit a report on where I was at with projects and how my next week would be spent but it would literally take me hours to put it together even when my boss said it was a 15 minute task. But I could never figure out how to quantity so many projects so simply.

You said you sometimes have as many as 25-30 tasks. There is not enough time in a week for you to "touch" each one so how are you breaking down your calendar? Even if you have a team working on a lot of those you are still managing them which means you are still receiving emails and needing to track progress. How do you do that?

I absolutely need to work on being honest with myself about how much time tasks will take. This is very difficult for me for some reason. I always assume it will take less time so I don't give myself enough.

Your last point about pushing deadlines is a really good one. I'm going to keep that one top of mind.

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manmyth t1_j22q5ad wrote

All these are great suggestions at managing time. I’ll talk more about the stress aspect. I used to have many sleepless nights.

  1. When you leave work, try to turn the switch off. If you need to check email at night. Do it the same time each night.

  2. Try to get in a workout right after work. Yoga or a punching bag in my garage worked the best for me. Running, body weight exercises, and just long walks work wonders when you’re tight for time. I didn’t get group classes until I tried them and they’re great for the social and physical aspects.

  3. Look up some meditation techniques and how to let intrusive thoughts “pass-through.” This is key for when you’re laying in bed restless. Just remember at this point of the day, there’s nothing more you can do.

  4. Avoid drinking/weed during the week or Sunday. You think it helps you calm down but it doesn’t. You’ll be much more energized and clear headed from a good night sleep.

  5. Overall, don’t be so hard on yourself. It sounds like you’re in the early stages of your career. Keep that learning spirit that brought you here and you’ll be cruising along crushing it.

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Criticalwater2 t1_j22g1qc wrote

Just a quick outline, but this is what I do:

  1. For each project you have responsibilities for, create a project plan to lay out the project timing line and tasks. This can be a subset of the larger project plan focusing on your areas of responsibility. I use a simple spreadsheet for this.

  2. Prioritize the projects and the tasks. Discuss with your boss if there are conflicts or the priorities aren’t clear.

  3. Create an overall execution tracker with the tasks prioritized and the expected completion date. Keep it focused on daily/weekly execution, but also keep in mind the overall schedule and project commitments.

  4. Set up weekly meetings with the team lead, your team, and key stakeholders to review progress, help needed, and commitments. The teams may already have regular meetings set up, but if they don’t, you’ll have to do it.

  5. Set up regular meetings with your boss to review progress and make sure your priorities align with the business priorities. This should be a formal 1:1 to make sure progress and priorities are fully discussed.

  6. Provide a weekly written summary of your progress to the team leads, your boss, and any key stakeholders.

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Late-Jicama5012 t1_j22kmcq wrote

I can’t stress it enough, take the PMP/PMI classes. Your local community college offers them online, after 6pm, 2-3 times a week. Even if you don’t have enough project management hours to get a certificate, you will learn a lot in a class.

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cottoncandy-sky OP t1_j22lj8d wrote

I wondered if taking one would be valuable so thank you for your comment!

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danja t1_j26n81j wrote

https://add.org/adhd-test/ - it's only like a rough thing, for screening. If you tick so many boxes, you should maybe talk to a medical professional. There was a lot of research done, to the extent the WHO will publish it.

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keepthetips t1_j2258p8 wrote

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danja t1_j225vqs wrote

Try the Adult ADHD test.

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cottoncandy-sky OP t1_j226u8p wrote

Is there like a questionnaire online or something or are you thinking I should go see a specialist? Does struggling to manage multiple tasks mean ADHD? I thought it was more about not being able to focus on any individuals tasks not necessarily getting overwhelmed by too many of them. But I'm pretty ignorant on the subject.

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